…to a summer’s day?”
I sincerely doubt that Shakespeare had a blog post highlighting lemons as inspiration for his Sonnet 18. However, I can assure you that my inspiration for this post is how lemon allows us to capture the brightness of a summer’s day, even when “Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines”. All the brightness, none of the heat.
No, I’m not jumping into a recipe for an over-the-top lemonade, but I’d like to share how I use lemon, demonstrating it’s application in both sweet and savory dishes, whether the star of the show or a supporting role. And, while some of these items do require a bit of stove time, none of them call for so much cooking that they heat up the kitchen.
Let’s go exploring!!!
Lemon Curd (a/k/a lemon icebox pie)
Eggs, sugar, lemon juice, and butter. What could be simpler. Lemon Curd is an easy, 3-step wonder, capturing all the tartness alongside the sweetness. It goes well in a graham cracker crusted pie or tart shell. Whipped cream or meringue, or neither, and you’ve got your show stopper.
Chopped Caesar Salad
Whether you make it yourself, or do as I sometimes do and use a Taylor Farms Chopped Caesar Salad kit (shown), a slice of lemon not only elevates the presentation, but the sprinkling of lemon juice ‘lightens the load’, making a cool addition to your meal. You can see this salad taking part in a meal here.
OK, so this one takes some baking, and is an overnight process, but once done you have a delicious loaf cake for days of enjoyment. With your second cup of coffee, or at lunch or dinner with maybe some whipped or ice cream, you’ll still be enjoying it when the memory of making it has faded.
Lemon all over the place!
Salmon, dressed with some lemon pepper and a slice of lemon, takes 14 or so minutes in the oven. The asparagus takes 4-5 minutes in a skillet of boiling water; and the hollandaise (with lemon juice, of course) is a one-pot wonder, taking that asparagus to new heights.
Slice some zucchini, yellow squash, and Roma tomato (arrangement optional). Add a drizzle of olive oil, maybe a splash of a good balsamic vinegar, but for sure a sprinkling of lemon juice. Then top it all with some goat cheese and basil. A plate full of summer’s best!
Tomato and Avocado Salad
Here’s another quick one for you! Chopped avocado, sliced cherry tomatoes, maybe some scallion (use the white parts in the salad, and the green parts, sliced on the diagonal, for garnish); drizzle with olive oil, and top with a generous splash of lemon juice. Air conditioning in a bowl.
Lemon Ginger Cheesecake
Cheesecake‘s one of those delights that requires some baking, but once done it keeps in the fridge for days, just waiting for you to pull it out for a cool slice – or two! For this one, I made the crust from ginger snaps, and lined the springform pan with them as well. Cut back on the vanilla, adding the zest and juice of one lemon, and there you’ve got it. Lemonade on a plate!
Here’s a gallery of other ideas for you. All of them have lemon, as I said, either featured or as a brightening addition. Enjoy!
never 2 old 2 start cooking 
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